A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully > dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed > and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a > nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making > the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby > of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. > > > As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual > description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been > hung on his window. > > > "I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old > having just been presented with a new puppy. > > > > "Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." > > "That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. > > > "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I > like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... > it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. "It's a > decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can > spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of > my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the > ones that do. > > Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on > the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this > time in my life. > > Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've > put in. > > So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in > the bank account of memories! Thank you all for your part in filling my > Memory bank. I am still depositing.
" Remember the five simple rules to be happy: > > 1. Free your heart from hatred. > 2. Free your mind from worries. > 3. Live simply. > 4. Give more. > 5. Expect less. >
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* We eventually realize that just as the pains of alcoholism had to come before sobriety, emotional turmoil comes before serenity. *